Midfielder Nicolo Barella has won praise for his effective high pressing in yesterday’s Serie A win over Monza.
As L’Interista highlights, the player ratings for the match across Italian media commended the 26-year-old for his intensity and focus off the ball.
Barella was not necessarily at his best in an attacking or creative sense yesterday.
The former Cagliari man did not score or assist a goal in the 5-1 thrashing of Monza.
Nor was his passing as incisive in driving the team forward as he is certainly capable of.
But what Barella did do was bring balance to the Inter midfield.
The Nerazzurri aimed to disrupt the possession game of a Monza team who are capable of dictating the tempo of a match when they have the ball.
And Barella was key to that effort.
Nicolo Barella Praised For Pressing Performance In Inter Win Vs Monza
Inter’s midfield was relatively fluid against Monza.
Whilst the Brianzoli played with two holding midfielders and two attack-minded midfielders, the Nerazzurri played with a trio.
Hakan Calhanoglu played as the deep-lying midfielder at the base of the trio. And Barella played on the right, whilst Henrikh Mkhitaryan played on the left.
At least on paper.
But in reality, the Nerazzurri midfielders interchanged position fairly freely.
This allowed Inter to overrun Monza centrally and prevent the Brianzoli from gaining much of a foothold in the match.
And Barella was right at the heart of the Nerazzurri’s efforts to deny Monza time and space on the ball.
It may not have been the most eye-catching performance from a player who is more than capable of producing the spectacular.
But Barella was Inter’s engine without the ball.
All in all, Italian media have argued, the 26-year-old showed his superstar qualities even if it was more to act as a platform for his teammates than be the centre of attention.
